The 42-year-old has twice competed in the endurance classic, and nearly stayed up all night to watch the 2017 running. He is enamored by the cars and technology, and enjoyed his brief time in the paddock, but doesn’t see himself doing it again.

"I don’t think I’ll be at the 24 Hours of Daytona or anything like that," Earnhardt said. "Back when we did those things it felt easier to do those one-offs, but that series is so competitive today, you just don’t come in there as a hobby and have a little fun. It’s just too competitive.

"It would be like one of them trying to come over here and just flirt with NASCAR a little bit. I don’t know that I could have the success I would want to have or have the opportunity to be in the equipment that I would want to be in."

As usual, there is always a caveat.

When he made his Rolex 24 back in 2001, he did so in a Corvette with his father as a teammate, and again in 2004 with Tony Stewart and Andy Wallace as co-drivers. Earnhardt would consider another Rolex 24 appearance if he could race with friends in a race-winning car.

"As far as working to run a 24-hour race, you want to do it with people that you know," Earnhardt said. "I drove for Corvette and that was really nerve-wracking because you have teammates that I don’t really know that well and I’m responsible for the car when I’m in it and man, I don’t want to be the guy that screws this up for everybody. It’s a completely different experience.

"So, if I were to run in the 24 Hours again, it would have to be with drivers that I’m friends with and I just don’t know whether that would materialize. It’s really unlikely."

Earnhardt loves the race because he's a night owl anyway. He likes to stay awake and sleep in late. The endurance nature plays right into his strengths.

"It’s a very fun race; it’s my kind of race," he said. "Staying up all night long and not getting any sleep for 24 hours is right up my alley. So, I felt like I had an advantage. But, it’s just such a cool atmosphere too, in the middle of the night with the cars running around. Maybe it’s just a race I’ll go and have fun at as a spectator because I know it’s a lot of fun to be there during that event."